Shadow
by Xx Meisha xX
Summary: Memories are memories, whether they are painful or pleasant. Can the arrival of a single student resurface everything he had once wanted to keep hidden? KanamexYukixZero


**Meisha:**

Hey reader.  
I'm so glad you decided to check out this story. It's my first attempt at a Vampire Knight fanfic. I recently finished the anime and, though I had second thoughts in the beginning, I ended up becoming a big fan. My goal in this fic is to try and keep everyone in character. Please let me know if you think I'm doing a good job or failing miserably.  
And most of all, enjoy!

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**Shadow**

Chapter 1

Thoughts

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_The sound of muffled crying woke him from his slumber. Rubbing his eyes he glanced at the clock by his bedside._

_4:13 a.m._

_He grunted in annoyance before dragging himself to his feet. "So much for having a goodnight sleep before the final exam," he mumbled before opening the door of his room to try and find the source of the sound. _

_He walked down the hallway, wide awake by this time. The crying was gradually getting louder. It sounded like a little girl. The sobbing continued and echoed from the staircase. Whoever was crying must have been in the common lounge. Sighing again, he began his descent. _

_His annoyance vanished the moment he saw the whimpering girl in front of him. She was curled up on the floor, hugging her knees and burying her face. She seemed to notice his presence, tightening her hold on her knees. Still, she kept her face buried. A sudden urge of compassion filled him._

_He took a step towards her, causing her to hug her knees even tighter. Opening his mouth to say something he quickly closed it. Comforting others was never his specialty. Instead, he took another step towards her. Though her face was buried, he could tell she was watching him from the corner of her eye. She watched his every move. _

_Eventually he made his way to her and stood only a couple feet in front of her. Summoning up his courage, he reached his hand towards her. She was hesitant at first, but slowly lifted her hand to place it in his. _

_Just as she was about to do so, she raised her head and he looked up to meet her gaze. Rather than the sweet, tear stained girl he expected to see, a pair of demon like eyes glared back at him. Immediately he drew his hand back as the piercing gaze intensified. In an attempt to step back away from the creature, he fell into a dark abyss. _

---....---....---

beep beep beep

An arm stretched out from under the blanket to silence the irritating device. Sitting up, he buried his face in his hands before running a hand through his hair.

_That dream… again_

It had become somewhat of a recurring nightmare. Even with its continuous appearances, he had no idea what it meant.

Perhaps to never help a little girl?

He silently scoffed before going about his morning routine and preparing for the day ahead. It was a typical Monday morning. Before heading to class he decided to grab something to eat.

---....---....---

"Hey Zero," a boy greeted as he watched his friend enter the dining hall. "Man, you look horrible," he added.

Zero simply shrugged it off before taking his place at the table.

"Late night?"

"I guess."

The conversation between the two had come to an end. Others came to join them and conversation flowed easily between the newcomers, but Zero remained secluded. He was never one for idle talk.

"I heard the chairman was looking for you."

When no one answered, Zero looked up to see everyone staring at him.

"Me?" he asked, slightly surprised.

"Yeah, I went by his office earlier today and he said he needed to ask you for something," the girl added, shrugging her shoulders meaning she didn't know anything further. "Maybe you should stop by there before class starts?" she suggested.

"Yeah." And with that he stood up and left the dining hall.

The others watched as he left before conversation struck up again.

"Isn't it weird?" one asked.

"What's weird?"

"Zero… we've all known him for over a year, but it's like we still don't know anything about him."

In response the others simply shrugged before talking about the latest football game.

---....---....---

"I want to ask you this again. Are you sure? No matter how much you plan, you can't be sure of the outcome. It may only bring pain and suffering." The chairman folded his hands before resting his chin on them.

"This is the best course of action. It's what they would have wanted."

"I see. Well, then it seems I must do my part. Thank you for coming in to see me. I know how busy you must be as a senior. I won't keep you any longer."

"Thank you."

Before the visitor could reach the door, the handle was turned and Zero entered. He seemed surprised to see the Chairman's visitor, but before he had a chance to question anything the Chairman cut him off.

"Kiriyu-kun! What a pleasant surprise. But you really should knock before barging into someone's office! What does it take to get a little privacy now-a-days?" he questioned, shaking his head and flailing his arms around.

"It's all right, we're done," the visitor replied, taking a step towards Zero who remained planted in his spot. Though Zero had a firm glare directed towards the visitor, he seemed not to notice. "Pardon me, Kiryu-kun."

Zero moved to the side, allowing the visitor to leave but kept his gaze on him the entire time. It wasn't until the door had clicked shut that he turned his attention to the Chairman.

"You've arrived at a good—"

"What was _he_ doing here?" Zero's voice held such contempt that any ordinary person would have shivered.

"Kuran Kaname? Oh, we just had some business to finish up… which reminds me. I have a favor to ask of—"

"No." Zero turned to walk out but the Chairman's next couple of words prevented him from turning the door handle.

"It seems you've been regularly late and have even fallen asleep during some of your classes…"

"What are you getting at?" Zero didn't try to hide his annoyance.

"I can take these incidents off your transcript so long as you do me a little, itty bitty, tiny—"

"What do you need?"

The Chairman had grown accustom to Zero's usual demeanor and was therefore unaffected by his trademark blunt remarks.

"There's a new transfer student arriving today. I need you to show her the ropes. Let her shadow you for a bit; show her the dining hall, where her classes will be, you know, that sort of stuff," the Chairman said with a wave of his hand.

"Fine." Without a second look, Zero turned to leave the office.

It took a moment for Zero's cooperation to settle in. The Chairman was, to say the least, a little surprised by Zero's acceptance. He expected the boy to argue or question why he was chosen for such a petty task. A sudden thought dawned on the Chairman causing him to stand up abruptly and begin his flailing once again.

"Kiryu-kun! You don't even know her name!" But the door had already shut closed behind him. "Ahh, what am I supposed to do now? She's going to be such a lost child!"

---....---....---

The rest of the day had gone by rather smoothly. Occasionally Zero would have to tolerate girls swooning over some of the upper classmen, but it had been rather acceptable today. Come to think of it, a lot of the upperclassmen who tended to draw unnecessary attention hadn't been present today. But why was that any of Zero's concern? He brushed it aside as nothing. If anything, he should be grateful.

He checked his watch to see that it was quarter till six. The day really had flown by. Turning to return to his dorm, a pair of uniform shoes caught his attention. He looked up to see a young girl smiling at him.

"Hi, I'm Yuuki Cross."

She was met with silence.

"Um, you are Zero Kiriyu, aren't you?" When she was met with another awkward silence she decided to continue. "Didn't the chairman tell you about me?"

At once the events in the Chairman's office came rushing back to him. Still, his expression didn't change.

"Oh yeah."

The girl furrowed her brow, clearly displeased by his greeting, but said nothing.

"Anyway, I'd really like to thank you for taking the time to show me around and stuff. Honestly, this whole place is like a big maze to me and I'm pretty sure I'm going to forget where everything is within the next few—hey, where are you going?" She struggled to keep up with the boy who had decided to walk away in the middle of their conversation.

"What?" He asked, turning around with an irritated glare.

She seemed taken aback for a moment. He resisted the urge to smirk. Girls were always initially talkative around him, but once he made such a remark they would quiet down and avert their gaze. This Yuuki girl would be no different.

"What do you mean, 'what'?" She imitated, holding his glare with one of her own. "I was in the middle of saying something and you walked away!"

Now it was his turn to look shocked. No one, especially not a girl, had ever dared to say something so snippy. Maybe this girl wasn't like all the others.

"You were rambling," he said in a matter of fact tone. She opened her mouth to retort, but he didn't give her the chance. "You can ramble while we walk, can't you?"

Her scrunched face was immediately replaced by a shy smile.

"Oh, so you were just going to show me around? Sorry, I didn't mean to snap like that…" She continued talking, but he didn't really pay attention to what she was saying.

Instead, he was smiling to himself. This girl certainly was interesting. Maybe having her shadow him wouldn't be as dreadful as he first thought.

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**Meisha:**

Well, this first chapter is rather short. Sorry about that.  
I hope you still enjoyed it.

Please, if you have a moment, leave me some feedback. I would really appreciate it.


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